Tesla’s Latest Powerpack Microgrid Powers A Fiji Island – Video

We recently reported about a few island destinations that are utilizing solar arrays, microgrids and Tesla Powerpacks to either assist the power infrastructure or completely power the island. Tesla just delivered 20 more Powerpacks to a Fiji island resort that is going 100% green.

A look at the PowerSmart microgrid

Vunabaka’s award-winning Six Senses Residences and resort will open in late 2017, boasting 60 villas and 26 pools, along with a hotel. It is located on the Mamanuca Group island of Malolo in the Fiji Islands.

New Zealand’s PowerSmart is the company responsible for the construction of the microgrid. The specialty company works with commercial level “off-grid” solar systems and is turning to Tesla Powerpacks.

Other builders in the area are following suit. While each independent resort or residence area will build its own solar arrays, the developers are teaming up on the Tesla Powerpacks. Like the Ocracoke Island situation in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, as Powerpack utilization increases, old diesel generators will be eliminated from the equation.

It is interesting how all these Tesla Powerpack systems are coming online and ready to go without hearing much about them before they are up and running.

I kind of wonder why they are not getting hyped up when the plans to build these systems are first formalized? Perhaps Tesla is still learning and thus keeping quite until they are up and running? Perhaps they have too many customers already lined up such that they really don’t need/want more hype?

These systems are really awesome because most islands are heavily dependent on burning diesel for electricity. Burning diesel is very expensive, polluting, and greenhouse-gas intensive. So these systems are clean and cost-effective.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Lao, Chinese philosopher

This isn’t the first story I’ve read about a tiny island converting to 100% “green” power. The earlier story was about using wind power.

I realize that with current tech, there aren’t a lot of places in the world where it’s economically possible to go 100% green with electricity generation. But as solar power tech and battery tech advances, the areas where this makes sense, and where it will be done, will grow and grow.